Commissioner Paul Dougherty A No Show For Commissioners Meeting

Commissioner Paul Dougherty

I took the time out of my evening to drive to Haddon Township for the first meeting of the commissioners since the news of Paul Dougherty leaving the scene of an accident broke. I was disappointed because Dougherty was a no show.

That’s right, Paul Dougherty took the coward’s way out and didn’t bother to show.

Officially, Dougherty “was on vacation,” according to a report on NJ.com.

Fortunately, the evening wasn’t a total loss, I met a couple of The Bob & Steve Show’s newest fans and will soon have material in my possession to add to the Dougherty story. Hint: the material comes from a citizen’s old OPRA requests. So stay tuned.

As to the meeting it was typical of local government meetings, well run and boring, until Jason DeMent approached the microphone to speak. DeMent is a smart guy and former cop in the Township. He’s the guy in the vote of no confidence video, he has guts.

I typed and swiped on my phone as fast as I could to keep up with DeMent as he spoke of Dougherty, “He made a monster mistake, and then he made a really poor choice on top of that mistake. I have all the respect for this commission. I’m not telling my children that a person in power broke the law and then is able to keep that power.”

DeMent went on to say that Dougherty “…needs to do the respectful thing and step down.” He said more, I couldn’t keep up, but fortunately NJ Pen was there and they did a good job covering the meeting. Read it here.

DeMent also made it a point to remind those seated at the dais of his community involvement. A gym owner, Personal Trainer and Weight Loss & Strength Training Specialist, DeMent dedicates some of his time to student athletes.

The Mayor nor the other Commissioner had anything of substance to say to DeMent.

Is Dougherty really on vacation? I seriously doubt he scheduled a vacation for a week in which there was a scheduled commissioners meeting. That said, he could have suddenly decided to take a vacation to avoid facing the people he represents. And, that would make him a coward.